Don Young Port of Alaska in Anchorage

Don Young Port of Alaska

Don Young Port of Alaska is a Municipality of Anchorage owned facility that serves all of Alaska and the nation. It is Alaska’s most versatile port that handled 5.2 million tons of fuel and freight in 2022, including containers, liquid bulk, dry bulk, break bulk, and cruise ships too.

About half of all Alaska inbound cargo crosses Port of Alaska docks, about half of which is delivered to final destinations outside of Anchorage – statewide, including Southeast. It leverages hundreds of millions of dollars of public and private infrastructure, including more than 125 acres of cargo-handling yard, 3.1 million barrels of liquid fuel storage, 60,000 tons of cement storage, gantry cranes, RO-RO trestles, and a large, skilled workforce. It is located on upper Cook Inlet, adjacent to Alaska’s population center and primary road, marine, air, rail and pipeline cargo distribution systems.

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Alaska’s Primary Inbound-Cargo Port

Anchorage-owned and operated facility that handles half of all Alaska inbound freight – more than four million tons of fuel and cargo annually.
New Petroleum Cement Terminal

Modernization Program

Port of Alaska’s Modernization Program is a dock replacement program that aims to replace aging docks and related infrastructure before it fails.

PAMP will:

  • Replace aging docks and related infrastructure
  • Improve operational safety and efficiency
  • Accommodate modern shipping operations
  • Improve resiliency – to survive extreme seismic events and Cook Inlet’s harsh marine environment
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Big Anchorage Tides

Upper Cook Inlet has the highest tides in the United States and range almost 40 feet.

NOAA tide predictions for Port of Alaska typically range between low tides down to minus five feet and high tides that exceed plus 33 feet, with a mean daily tide range of 26.2 feet.

Anchorage’s extreme tides are driven by Upper Cook Inlet’s constricted geography and the configuration of northern hemisphere land masses. Local weather conditions intensify Anchorage’s tide fluctuations.

Click on these video link to see how tides influence Port of Alaska operations.

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What's new at the port . . .

Upcoming Meetings

Anchorage Port Commission Meeting Schedule

February 19, 2025 – noon-2pm: The next meeting will be held live at the third-floor conference room in the new Don Young Port of Alaska administrative office at 1871 Anchorage Port Road. Commissioners and others may participate virtually via Microsoft Teams. Please send an email with the words “Port Commission Meeting” in the subject line to PortOfAlaska@anchorageak.gov before 5 pm on Tuesday, Feb 18, 2025 to request an email meeting invitation with call-in phone number and log-in information. Don Young Port of Alaska is a secure facility that follows U.S. Department of Homeland Security protocol. All visitors (including meeting participants) must show a government-issued photo ID at the port security gate. Firearms, ammunition, fireworks, and other explosive devices are prohibited inside of the port security perimeter. All vehicles are subject to random security screening. Agenda and information packet will be published before the meeting.

Port News

Federal appeals court overturns $367M award to Anchorage in lawsuit over faulty port construction

December 19, 2024 - A federal appeals court panel has overturned a previous decision that awarded more than $367.4 million to the Municipality of Anchorage in its lawsuit against the federal government over failed construction work at the Don Young Port of Alaska.
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Delegation Applauds $104 Million for Alaska Port and Maritime Infrastructure Projects

November 12, 2024 - U.S. Senators Lisa Murkowski and Dan Sullivan (both R-Alaska), and Representative Mary Sattler Peltola (D-Alaska), announced today that six coastal communities in Alaska will receive more than $104 million in investments this year for critical port and maritime infrastructure. These grants, funded by both annual appropriations and the 2021 Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA), will benefit port, harbor, and dock improvement and development in communities across Alaska.
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Anchorage Assembly approves expanded design for Port of Alaska’s cargo terminals

November 7, 2024 - The Anchorage Assembly on Wednesday unanimously passed three measures critical to moving ahead with the modernization project at the Don Young Port of Alaska, including approval of an expanded design for cargo terminal two.
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Construction of cargo terminal at Port of Alaska could be delayed due to lack of contractor bids

November 5, 2024 - As the Municipality of Anchorage presses forward with the massive modernization project at the Don Young Port of Alaska, city officials say that construction of the first cargo dock terminal will likely be delayed, and much of that work won’t start next summer as previously intended.
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Statewide and Port of Alaska Long Range Fuel Forecast

Download Statewide and Port of Alaska Long Range Fuel Forecast, Nov. 20, 2020 – pdf

Port of Alaska logistical and economic advantages report

Download Port of Alaska logistical and economic advantages report – pdf

Port of Alaska Fact Sheet.

Download Port of Alaska fact sheet – pdf


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